Page 18 - Healthcare News Nov_Dec, 2020

SENIOR LIVING CONT’D
a similar site or earn additional income by providing care at a per- son’s home. Moran knew she had to address this vulnerability to keep the virus away. “I met with all our associates and offered more money, more hours, and different hours to encourage them to work only for the Atrium.”
Tamilio said Rockridge also of- fered additional pay and hours to keep staff working only at that fa- cility. “Having our people just work
“We’ve redoubled our protocols and to make sure all our staff is up to date on proper infection control, hand washing, and strict sanitization procedures.”
at one community is one of the main reasons both campuses have avoided COVID-19 cases. It’s an example of how senior-living com- munities across Western Mass. had to be creative and aggressive — and continue to do so — to protect the most vulnerable population from a pandemic that’s far from over.
Visitation Consternation
In mid-March, the state issued guidelines for senior-living facilities to allow visitors only after they’ve had a health screening prior to their entry. When the pandemic first hit, all three communities HCN spoke with said they restricted all outsiders except health provid-
ers and other essential personnel. Unfortunately, that meant families were not able to visit their loved ones in assisted living.
“As disappointing as that was, we had a solid communication process in place, and we were transparent about any changes, so it was much easier to get the families, residents, and staff on board,” Tamilio said.
Cardillo also stressed that com- munication was key, and person- ally checked in with every family member. “We were honest with people and let them know what was going on, and they appreciated that.”
As a further precaution for those in assisted living, the Executive Of- fice of Elder Affairs mandated that everyone be quarantined in their apartments. No communal dining or walking around the halls was allowed.
Cardillo noted that many resi- dents in assisted living have cogni- tive impairments that make pro- cessing and retaining information difficult, so structure and constant communication are very important. Still, cognitively impaired residents who had been making progress before the quarantine began to backslide.
“They were confused again, depression was setting in, and their anxiety increased,” she recalled. “In some ways, the social isolation was almost worse than the virus.”
Staff dressed in full personal protective equipment (PPE) began meeting one-on-one with each resi- dent in their apartment. Cardillo said reaching out and having con- versations with the residents began to make them feel better.
Moran said the configuration
Please see Living, page 29
for Rockridge was key to prevent- ing transmission.”
EMILY TAMILIO
Both Moran and Tamilio said encouraging staff to work only
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